When exploring a business idea she thought had potential, Emily Bell McCormick found herself asking, “If no one else is doing this, why not me?” Knowing failure was possible but that learning and growth were guaranteed, Emily jumped on the idea and founded the successful clothing company, Shabby Apple. On this week’s episode, Emily discusses lessons learned from starting her business, growing her family through birth and adoption, and later founding The Policy Project, a nonprofit public policy group. Emily shares openly about her journey navigating motherhood and her own needs and interests, as well as discussing how she was shaped by growing up in a home with a terminally ill mother. Throughout the interview, Emily affirms her strong testimony of Jesus Christ and of our Heavenly Parents’ loving involvement in the details of our lives.

“I knew my future rested squarely upon my own shoulders. If I wanted to do something… (it) was going to be on me to do (it).” 

“If no one else is doing it, why not me?” 

-Emily Bell McCormick 

Challenge: Think about key life experiences/influences that have shaped you and your interests, including small nudges or transformational moments. Record one in your journal this week. 

Resources: 

The Policy Project 

Learn More:  

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at ⁠⁠www.susanrmadsen.com⁠⁠   

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.   

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:   

Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints⁠⁠   

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/⁠⁠   

Contact Me:  

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].⁠⁠⁠ 

This week I’m stepping outside my comfort zone and sharing more about my background and life experience for new listeners and those less familiar with my story.

Join us as my friend, Karlie Guymon, takes the interviewer seat to ask me about growing up the only girl with SIX brothers, serving as a young missionary in Tampa, Florida, and pursuing masters and doctorate degrees as a young mother. I reflect on the one thing I would change looking back: I wish I had given myself more grace!

I also encourage listeners not to be afraid of hard things (which can be the source of the best life lessons), to use their gifts and talents to find greater meaning and purpose in life, and to support and lift other women, especially those who choose a different path in life than you.  

Challenge: How can you lean in to better identify and develop your unique talents and gifts instead of hanging back or waiting for a “better time”? Consider that this may also include developing or strengthening your testimony of Jesus Christ and the restored gospel. What can you do to lean in and engage in the gospel?   

*If you haven't already, will you please take a moment to rate and review this episode? Ratings and reviews help new listeners find the show. Thank you so much!*

Resources: 

Episode 6: The Box 

Episode 53: How Motherhood Prepares Women to Lead 

Episode 43: A Bolder Way Forward 

Book: A Future Only God Can See For You 

Utah Women and Leadership website 

Learn More:  

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at ⁠⁠www.susanrmadsen.com⁠⁠   

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.   

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:   

Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints⁠⁠   

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/⁠⁠   

Contact Me:  

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].⁠⁠⁠ 

Several years ago, Kristin Andrus and her husband sold a portion of their extremely successful business, Traeger Grills. But instead of feeling relieved or celebratory, she immediately felt a heavy weight of responsibility and a strong spiritual prompting to choose the path less traveled, give back, and get out of her “bubble.”

In this week’s episode, Kristin joins me to talk about the ways she and her family, including their six children, are thinking outside the box to serve and volunteer in their community, as well as change public policy through her work with The Policy Project.

Kristin, who has a large following on social media, is down to earth and quick to acknowledge that “philanthropy is not about money,” but rather about a willingness to share our unique talents, gifts, energy, and resources as we are able, just as Christ taught. She offers relevant and needed advice to women on creating a healthier relationship with social media (create > consume), and reminds women to prioritize investing in and developing themselves in order to reach our full potential as daughters of Heavenly Parents. 

“When I go out in our daily efforts I ask, ‘where would Christ be?’ He would be outside of my bubble. ...He is absolutely my first and foremost example of how to spend my time, where to spend my time, and who to spend my time with.”

- Kristin Andrus

Challenge: Think about what talents and skills you have been blessed with and have been developing already. Consider how you already do or could to engage as advocate for individual, group or family, something you haven’t done before, even just a few sentences in your journal.

Resources: 

@KristinAndrus on Instagram  

⁠The Policy Project⁠ 

Episode 31: The Potential Impacts of Social Media  

Episode 32: A Few More Social Media Thoughts 

Learn More:  

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at ⁠⁠www.susanrmadsen.com⁠⁠   

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.   

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:   

Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints⁠⁠   

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/⁠⁠   

Contact Me:  

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].⁠⁠⁠ 

This week we’re replaying a listener favorite, Episode 28: “Distractors and Strategies for Discovering Gifts, Talents, and Strengths.” In this episode I talk about three things that distract us from understanding, embracing, and utilizing our gifts, talents, and strengths in the Church and in the world. I briefly talk about three distractors, and then I mention five approaches I recommend to help women discover their unique gifts, talents and strengths. In our busy lives, pausing and taking the time to consider what may be limiting us from reaching our full potential as well as considering our own strengths and gifts is so important.  

“When you know your distinct gifts, talents, and strengths, you can contribute in better, more meaningful ways in this world. ...Humility just means being teachable, it does not mean you should be small or insignificant.” - Dr. Susan R. Madsen

“I urge you, with all the hope of my heart, to pray to understand your spiritual gifts—to cultivate, use, and expand them, even more than you ever have. You will change the world as you do so.” -President Russell M. Nelson, Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel 

“You are daughters of a loving Heavenly Father, who sent you into the world with unique gifts that you promised to use to bless others.” -President Henry B. Eyring, Sisters In Zion 

“Women give of their talents and abilities in incredible and diverse ways. They make a huge difference in the lives of all those around them—in their families, their places of work, church, school, or wherever else they spend their time.” - President Jean B. Bingham, former Relief Society general president, Women and Covenant Power 

Challenge: My challenge to you this week is to create a list of your talents and strengths and to consider what others have told you in the past about your gifts. Seek for spiritual guidance and be open to seeing and learning about more of the gifts you have been given and how they relate to expanding your talents and strengths. 

Resources:   

Book: A Future Only God Can See For You 

USS Episode 27: Understanding our Gifts, Talents, and Strengths 

Learn More:  

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at ⁠⁠www.susanrmadsen.com⁠⁠   

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.   

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:   

Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints⁠⁠   

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/⁠⁠   

Contact Me:  

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].⁠⁠⁠ 

Does motherhood take women away from learning, growth, and professional development, or is motherhood an effective school for becoming a better human, influencer, and leader?

Join me as I share stories as well as an extensive list of what I learned talking to leading women around the world about the skills and capacities they have learned as mothers. It is clear to me that motherhood prepares women to lead.

Parenting is anything but easy, and research tells us challenging experiences are some of the most effective leadership development experiences. From learning balance and prioritization to negotiation and mediation skills, the things we learn as mothers help us become better leaders and disciples of Jesus Christ.  

“Motherhood can help us develop so many things that are linked to becoming a better human, influencer, and leader. Motherhood has helped me learn so much more about love.” 

-Dr. Susan B. Madsen 

Challenge: My challenge to you this week is to spend a little time journaling about what motherhood, fatherhood, or other types of unpaid work roles–to help you develop skills and attributes that make you better serve our Heavenly Parents. Write some thoughts down in your journal, and feel free to share your thoughts with me at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).   

Resources:   

Center for Creative Leadership Article: The 70-20-10 Rule for Leadership Development 

Learn More:  

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at ⁠⁠www.susanrmadsen.com⁠⁠   

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.   

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:   

Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints⁠⁠   

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/⁠⁠   

Contact Me:  

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].⁠⁠⁠ 

I'm sure you've heard of the gender pay gap, but did you know there is a connection between lower pay for women and religiosity? The gender wage gap is a complicated issue, but research shows religion affects the individual choices, organizational practices, and societal norms that impact the gap in pay between men and women. Today I share from a study that compared the pay gap in religious and non-religious states and countries, talk about my own personal experience with wage discrimination, and extend a challenge to learn more about the wage gap in order to lessen discrimination within our own communities.  

Challenge: Read some of the editorials and articles I’ve written on the gender pay gap (see links below). The pay gap is real, and society cannot explain it all away. We need to lessen the discrimination factor within our own spheres of influence! Write some thoughts down in your journal, and feel free to share your thoughts with me at ⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).   

Resources:   

LinkedIn Article: Understanding the Gender Pay Gap 

Forbes Article: Understanding the Gender Pay Gap: A Framework That May Help 

Deseret News Article: Opinion: Yes, Utah, The Gender Pay Gap Is Real 

Square Two Article: The Gender Wage Gap and Unpaid Care Work in Utah 

Learn More:  

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at ⁠⁠www.susanrmadsen.com⁠⁠   

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.   

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:   

Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints⁠⁠   

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/⁠⁠   

Contact Me:  

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].⁠⁠⁠ 

In this episode I briefly honor Sister Patricia T. Holland, who passed away on July 20, 2023, and share one of my favorite quotes from her about her honest hatred for sewing. (Isn’t that great?!) Then, I share some thoughts about the truly incredible gift we have to choose what we believe. After a recent trip to Eastern Europe, I have reflected often on the freedom we have today to choose our religion and our beliefs, and how billions of people before us never had that choice. We must not take this gift for granted! I challenge listeners to consider what they are doing with their freedom to choose what and how they believe, and offer encouragement to keep ourselves in a place where God can use us to further His work.  

“For three-fourths of my life I felt threatened to the core because I hated to sew. Now, I can sew; if it is absolutely necessary, I will sew—but I hate it. Can you imagine my burden over the last twenty-five or thirty years, “faking it” in Relief Society sessions and trying to smile when six little girls walk into church all pinafored and laced and ribboned and petticoated—in identical, hand-sewn dresses, all trooping ahead of their mother, who has a similar outfit? I don’t necessarily consider my attitude virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy, but I’m honest in my antipathy toward sewing.” 

-Sister Patricia T. Holland, “One Thing Is Needful” talk 

"We can choose to believe. We can choose to righteously push as we are inspired to do. We can choose so many things. Yes, there are still limitations and things we must wrestle with and things that need to be changed, but we need to have our testimonies cemented in the Doctrine of Christ and His Gospel. This will make all of the difference in our lives. We must keep ourselves in a place where God can use us to further His work.”   

-Dr. Susan R. Madsen 

Challenge: My challenge to you this week is to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy wherever we live, particularly our freedom of religion. Let’s remember that this freedom is a gift that billions of people throughout time have not been able to enjoy. What are we doing to do with that gift? Make a few notes in your journal. Feel free to share your thoughts with me at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).  

Resources:  

Church News Release: Sister Patricia Terry Holland Passes Away  

Sister Holland Talk: “One Needful Thing” 

Official Church Statement on Religious Freedom 

Learn More: 

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at ⁠www.susanrmadsen.com⁠  

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.  

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:  

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints⁠  

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/⁠  

Contact Me: 

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠⁠[email protected].⁠⁠ 

Join me for a few reflections on feeling seen and loved by Jesus Christ after studying and teaching about His resurrection to my local congregation. I share the differing biblical accounts of women witnessing His resurrection, and relate it to the way we as women today are sometimes still invisible or not acknowledged by our fellow men and women. I affirm my testimony that we are each loved and known by name by our Savior, no matter our situation, marital or family status, or job title, and I share a few personal experiences that taught me this vital principle.  

“Our lives matter, no matter our situation—whether we have children or not, work for pay or not, or we have a combination or whatever it might be. He truly knows our name. He knows our struggles; he knows our hearts. It is up to us to feel him and KNOW him. He is always there. It is our responsibility to be in the head space and heart space to feel him.” 

-Dr. Susan R. Madsen 

Challenge: Write down how you feel you are “seen” by Jesus Christ. Do you believe He knows you? And, how? If not, what can you do this week to change that? Feel free to share your thoughts with me at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).  

Resources:  

June 26- July 2, 2023 Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families: “He Is Risen” 

April 2017 General Conference talk by President Linda K. Burton: "Certain Women” 

Learn More: 

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at ⁠www.susanrmadsen.com⁠  

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.  

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:  

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints⁠  

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/⁠  

Contact Me: 

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠⁠[email protected].⁠⁠ 

Have you ever thought about how cultivating a more equal partnership in the home can better invite the Holy Ghost to teach, inspire, and uplift a family? Join me for part two of my conversation with Tim Willden, my younger brother, as we discuss ways men and women can work together to create a more equal partnership in the home, resulting in a more Spirit-filled, loving, and safe home and family life.

Tim shares the critical importance of husbands and wives talking together openly and frequently about the roles and responsibilities within the home, including those Church culture or broader society has traditionally assigned to just men or just women. In situations where abuse of any kind is present, we discuss the need for women to seek for safe places where they can feel and receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I also share research about the positive effect of equal partnerships in the home on children and future generations.  

“The prophet has been teaching us to ‘Hear Him.’ He’s been teaching us that we can’t make it through this if we don’t have the Holy Ghost, if we don’t have that relationship. And as a father, I think it comes upon me and my wife, as the nurturers and caregivers of our children, to help foster an environment where they can hear him better, and teaching them how to “hear him.” 

-Tim Willden 

Challenge: Think about what equal partnership in the home looks like for you. Talk about that with your spouse, boyfriend, a family member, or whomever might feel appropriate to you. Feel free to share your thoughts with me at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).  

Resources:  

May 2020 Harvard Business Review article: “Gender Equity Starts in the Home” 

October 2022 General Conference talk by Elder Ulisses S. Soares: “In Partnership with the Lord” 

Learn More: 

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at ⁠www.susanrmadsen.com⁠  

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.  

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:  

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints⁠  

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/⁠  

Contact Me: 

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠⁠[email protected].⁠⁠ 

As members of the church, we live in a culture that literally and metaphorically puts men on the stand. On this week's episode, I invite my younger brother, Tim Willden, to share his experiences as a bishop and stake president learning and striving to allow women in his stake to be more equal partners in the work of salvation. Tim shares ways his wife Danai was a more active partner throughout his service as stake president, including in ministering to departing and returning missionaries, as well as ways he encouraged the stake Relief Society, Young Women and Primary leaders to speak up and share revelation they received in more gender-balanced settings. Tim shares the revelation he received repeatedly to simply close his mouth (“shut up!”) and listen to what women were thinking and feeling. I hope this episode gives you encouragement and ideas for what can be done on the local level to help women and young women be heard, recognized and included. 

“Quite often we focus too much on the leaders that are sitting on the stand, and not enough on the sacrifice that everyone is making.”

-Tim Willden

Challenge: Think about the types of things bishops, stake presidents or other men in the church have done that have impacted you positively and why. Share them with me at [email protected] or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below). 

Resources: 

March 2019 Ensign Article by Barbara Morgan Gardner: “Connecting Daughters of God with His Priesthood Power" 

Book by Barbara Morgan Gardner: “The Priesthood Power of Women: In the Temple, Church, and Family” 

Spring 2020 BYU Magazine article highlighting research from Chrisopher F. Karpowitz, Jessica R. Preece, and Olga Stoddard: “When Women Don’t Speak Up” 

Learn More:

Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com 

Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond. 

Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/ 

Contact Me:

I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at ⁠[email protected].⁠